RUSSIAN GAINS, UKRAINIAN LOSSES AND BELORUSSIAN FIGHTERS IN DONBASS

The north of the Donetsk People’s Republic remains the hottest battlefield in Ukraine. Russian-led forces are slowly approaching the Savyansk-Kramatorsk region in an attempt to surround the Ukrainian grouping. Amid fierce clashes, Russian pressure on Ukrainian forces in Slavyansk from the north is increasing. After prolonged clashes, DPR military officials declared full control of the village of Bogorodichnoe located on the right bank of the Seversky Donets River west of Svyatogorsk. Ukrainian forces were also repelled from their positions in the resort area of the Blue Lakes, in the area of Krasny Liman. To the east, Russian-led forces claimed new victories on the Bakhmut-Soledar-Seversk front lines. The villages of Tripolie and Vladimirovka came under their control. The recent gains allow joint forces to develop their advance towards both Soledar and Bakhmut and cut Ukrainian communications between the two towns. The allied forces continue to develop their offensive towards Seversk from the Lisichansk area. Russian missiles and artillery are suppressing the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the heights around the town and in forest areas. Meanwhile in Lisichansk, the mop up operations in the city and surrounding villages were reportedly completed. Recently, a sabotage group from the Belarusian nationalist Volat battalion who were preparing terrorist attacks in the city was captured by the LPR People’s Militia near Volcheyarovka. Some of the Belorussian fighters were destroyed the others were taken hostage. Nazi fighters, who committed crimes, including foreigners, are not granted with the status of prisoners of war and are not subject to exchange. According to the assistant to the Minister of Internal Affairs of the LPR, the sabotage group captured near Volcheyarovka was involved in the coup attempt in Belarus. Since 2014, the Volat battalion was involved in arms smuggling. They transferred military equipment from Ukraine to Poland and Belarus where a coup d’etat was prepared. The Volat battalion is part of the Kalinovsky Regiment, a military formation that was created in February of this year. It includes Belarusian militants who fled the country in 2020, when mass protests took place there, as well as militants who have been fighting in Ukraine since 2014. Most of them were members of the tactical group Belarus, who took part in the fighting in the Donbass in 2014 as a part of the Right Sector. The military command of the Belarusian Nazi formation is based in Kiev. The regiment is funded by Poland, Britain, the Baltic States, Romania and even Germany. To date, about 40% of the Kalinovsky Regiment has been destroyed, including the commander of the Volat battalion. The elimination of the Belarusian nationalist Ivan Marchuk with the call sign Brest in the Lisichansk area was declared by the LPR authorities on July 6. His death was also confirmed by representatives of the armed formation.